Scope and Contents of the Materials

The John Wright Collection (1715-1853) [1982-22-0] consists of papers related to the Bostwick, Buck, Canfield, Ferriss, Hine, McEuen, Northrop, Taylor, and Treadwell families; lawyer Partridge Thacher; and others living in New Milford, Conn. It also includes papers related to New Preston Society. Included in the papers is correspondence; deeds; notes, orders, receipts and other business records; leases; subscription lists; account books, and other documents.

The collection is arranged in 14 series, one for each family, S. Masters, Thacher, one related to New Milford, one related to New Preston Society, and account books. The researcher will find papers related to the families interspersed among the various series. The papers of Partridge Thacher (1714-1786) are of particular interest. He was the first lawyer in New Milford and was self-taught. His account books document the payments, frequently rendered in trade, that he received for his services. Other of his books document the dockets of the Litchfield County Court. Thacher and others were involved in the acquisition of land in what was then the province of New Hampshire, which is now Vermont, as early as 1762, and a subscription list documents his and Samuel Averill's intention to obtain a patent to found a township in the area of the Onion River in the communities of Middlesex and Waterbury. During the late 1760s, Thacher was active in acquiring land there, as reflected by his deeds. In addition to the Thacher papers, some of the family papers also contain deeds related to transactions in New Hampshire (now Vermont).

Administrative Information

Repository:
Litchfield Historical Society

Access Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:
Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.